Heat exchange type ventilation device

ABSTRACT

A heat exchange ventilator includes a window frame, a lighting section inside the window frame; and a heat exchange element superimposed on the lighting section. The window frame includes an exhaust flow inlet, an exhaust flow outlet, an air supply flow inlet, an air supply flow outlet, an exhaust blower, and an air supply blower. The heat exchange element includes multiple heat transfer plates defining multiple air passages. Each heat transfer plate separates two air passages among the multiple air passages. Heat exchange plates are optically transparent and exchange sensible heat or total heat. The air passages include air supply passages and exhaust passages. Each air supply passage is between the air supply flow inlet and the air supply flow outlet. Each exhaust passage is between the exhaust flow inlet and the exhaust flow outlet. The air supply passages and the exhaust passages are alternatively arranged one by one.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a heat exchange ventilator.

BACKGROUND ART

In recent years, great importance has been put on energy savings in thefield of housing as global warming progresses. As to energy consumptionin houses, energy consumed for hot-water supplying, lighting, airconditioning, and ventilation is comparatively larger, and therefore,technologies for reducing such energy consumption has been greatlydesired.

In the above-mentioned energy consumption, when attention is given toair conditioning load in houses, the air conditioning load includes heatlost from the framework of a house (cold in the case of air cooling) andheat lost by ventilation. In the last decades, the heat lost from theframework of a house has been reduced because of considerableimprovements in heat insulation and airtightness of houses. On the otherhand, in order to reduce the heat lost by ventilation, a heat exchangeventilator configured to perform heat exchange between an exhaust flowand an air supply flow is effective.

In particular, the heat exchange ventilator has a great heat-recoveryeffect in cold climate areas having a great difference between theindoor temperature and the outdoor temperature or in winter, andaccordingly can reduce air conditioning energy. However, a conventionalheat exchange ventilator is installed in, for example, a ceiling spaceunder a roof, and ducts need to be routed in order to distribute air torooms, and therefore, the conventional heat exchange ventilator needs alarge-scale installation work.

To simplify the installation work of a heat exchange ventilator, a studyhas been conducted in which a heat exchange ventilator is mounted into awindow, and ventilation is performed while heat is recovered withoutusing a duct (for example, see Patent Literature 1).

In order to realize the above-mentioned study, the above-mentioned typeof heat exchange ventilator had the following configuration.

As illustrated in FIG. 10, heat exchange ventilator 101 is embedded inwindow frame 102. As illustrated in FIG. 11, heat exchange ventilator101 includes heat exchange element 105 and exhaust blower 106 in anexhaust passage configured to establish communication between exhaustflow inlet 102 and exhaust flow outlet 104. Heat exchange ventilator 101further includes heat exchange element 105 and air supply blower 109 inan air supply passage configured to establish communication between airsupply flow inlet 107 and air supply flow outlet 108. By operatingexhaust blower 106 and air supply blower 109, heat exchange between anexhaust flow and an air supply flow is carried out inside heat exchangeelement 105.

CITATION LIST

-   Patent Literature 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application    Publication (Translation of PCT Application) No. 2013-525733

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

As described above, in recent years, the desire to reduce airconditioning load in houses has grown, and a heat exchange ventilatorhaving excellent energy-saving efficiency has been desired. On the otherhand, a window frame for buildings has an important role for the designand beauty of buildings, and accordingly needs to be in harmony withperipheral members of the window frame, such as a wall material.Therefore, the miniaturization of window frames is highly desired.

However, the above-mentioned conventional heat exchange ventilator has aproblem that a heat transfer member configured to establish heatexchange between an air supply flow and an exhaust flow, an air supplyblower, and an exhaust blower are provided inside a window frame, andtherefore the window frame is large in size, and thereby spoils externalappearance. Furthermore, since the heat transfer member is mounted inthe window frame, an area necessary for the heat exchange is limited toan area of the window frame. Therefore, there is a problem that the areais too small for the heat exchange and sufficient heat exchange cannotbe carried out, and, as a result, particularly in winter, thetemperature of air blowing into a room is decreased to cause a loss incomfortability.

Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a heatexchange ventilator making the miniaturization of a window framepossible and capable of preventing a decrease in the temperature of airblowing into a room and enhancing comfortability.

To accomplish this object, a heat exchange ventilator according to oneaspect of the present disclosure includes a window frame, a lightingsection provided inside the window frame, and a heat exchange elementdisposed in the lighting section. The window frame includes an exhaustflow inlet provided on an indoor side and configured to take in indoorair, an exhaust flow outlet provided on an outdoor side and configuredto blow out the indoor air, an air supply flow inlet provided on theoutdoor side and configured to take in outdoor air, an air supply flowoutlet provided on the indoor side and configured to blow out theoutdoor air, an exhaust blower configured to send the indoor air fromthe exhaust flow inlet to the exhaust flow outlet, and an air supplyblower configured to send the outdoor air from the air supply flow inletto the air supply flow outlet. The heat exchange element includes aplurality of heat transfer plates defining a plurality of air passages.Each heat transfer plate separates two air passages among the pluralityof air passages. The plurality of heat exchange plates are opticallytransparent and configured to exchange sensible heat or total heat. Theplurality of air passages includes one or more air supply passages andone or more exhaust passages. The one or more air supply passages eachare provided between the air supply flow inlet and the air supply flowoutlet. The one or more exhaust passages each are provided between theexhaust flow inlet and the exhaust flow outlet. The one or more airsupply passages and the one or more exhaust passages are alternativelyarranged one by one.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the heat exchangeelement is disposed in the lighting section provided inside the windowframe, and the air supply blower and the exhaust blower are disposed inthe window frame. Thus, the size of the window frame can be reduced.Furthermore, since the heat exchange element is disposed in the lightingsection, the heat exchange element can be larger in size than aconventional heat exchange element disposed in a window frame, andaccordingly has the effect of enhancing heat exchange efficiency.

Thus, the present disclosure provides the heat exchange ventilator theuse of which makes possible the miniaturization of a window frame andallows more efficient heat exchange between indoor air and outdoor air,and thereby leads to higher comfortability.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic elevation view illustrating an installationexample of a heat exchange ventilator according to a first embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the heat exchange ventilatorwhen the heat exchange ventilator is viewed from inside a room.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the heat exchangeventilator.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the heat exchangeventilator including a low thermal radiation layer.

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the heat exchangeventilator including a thermal insulating layer.

FIG. 6 (a) and FIG. 6 (b) are schematic perspective views of the heatexchange ventilator including a cross-flow heat exchange element whenthe heat exchange ventilator is viewed from inside and outside the room,respectively.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the heat exchangeventilator including the cross-flow heat exchange element when the heatexchange ventilator is viewed from inside the room.

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the heat exchangeventilator into which a filter is installed.

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the heat exchangeventilator.

FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an installationexample of a conventional heat exchange ventilator.

FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a configuration ofthe conventional heat exchange ventilator.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be describedbased on the drawings. Note that the following embodiments are merelyexamples of a heat exchange ventilator to specify technical ideas of thepresent disclosure, and the present disclosure does not limit the heatexchange ventilator to the followings. Furthermore, members described inclaims are not limited to members in examples. In particular, the size,material, shape, and the relative positions of constituents that aredescribed in the embodiments do not limit the range of the presentdisclosure, but are merely explanation examples, unless otherwisespecified. Note that, for example, the size of members and a positionalrelation between the members are sometimes exaggeratingly illustrated inthe drawings in order to make an explanation clear. Furthermore, in thefollowing description, the same or similar members are assigned the samenames and reference numerals, and therefore detailed explanationsthereof will be suitably omitted. Furthermore, as to constituents of thepresent disclosure, the same member may constitute a plurality ofconstituents, that is, one member constitutes a plurality ofconstituents, or, on the other hand, the function of one member may berealized by a plurality of members. Furthermore, descriptions providedin some of the examples and embodiments can be applied to other examplesand embodiments.

A heat exchange ventilator according to one aspect of the presentdisclosure includes a window frame, a lighting section provided insidethe window frame, and a heat exchange element superimposed on thelighting section. The window frame includes an exhaust flow inletprovided on an indoor side and configured to take in indoor air, anexhaust flow outlet provided on an outdoor side and configured to blowout the indoor air, an air supply flow inlet provided on the outdoorside and configured to take in outdoor air, an air supply flow outletprovided on the indoor side and configured to blow out the outdoor air,an exhaust blower configured to send the indoor air from the exhaustflow inlet to the exhaust flow outlet, and an air supply blowerconfigured to send the outdoor air from the air supply flow inlet to theair supply flow outlet. The heat exchange element includes a pluralityof heat transfer plates defining a plurality of air passages. Each heattransfer plate separates two air passages among the plurality of airpassages. The plurality of heat exchange plates are opticallytransparent and configured to exchange sensible heat or total heat. Theplurality of air passages includes one or more air supply passages andone or more exhaust passages. The one or more air supply passages eachare provided between the air supply flow inlet and the air supply flowoutlet. The one or more exhaust passages each are provided between theexhaust flow inlet and the exhaust flow outlet. The one or more airsupply passages and the one or more exhaust passages are alternativelyarranged one by one.

The heat exchange element is thus disposed in the lighting section,whereby a heat exchange element conventionally embedded in a windowframe is made unnecessary, so that the miniaturization of the windowframe can be achieved. Furthermore, since the heat exchange element isdisposed in the lighting section, the heat exchange element can belarger in size than a conventional heat exchange element, so that theeffect of enhancing heat exchange efficiency is achieved. Furthermore,the heat exchange element is disposed in the lighting section, andtherefore, in winter, the heat exchange element can not only exchangethe heat of air taken into the inside of a room and the heat of airdischarged to the outside of the room, but also acquire solar radiation.Thus, the surface temperature of the heat transfer plate inside the heatexchange element rises, whereby the temperature of air flowing throughthe air supply passage can be increased. Furthermore, the heat transferplate is optically transparent, and thereby can carry out a lightingfunction as a window. Thus, as described above, without losing afunction as a window, the window frame can be reduced in size, and theheat exchange element can be larger in size, and heat exchangeefficiency can be enhanced. Thus, there can be provided the heatexchange ventilator capable of achieving efficient heat exchange betweenindoor air and outdoor air and offering higher comfortability.

The heat exchange element may be configured to be disposed on the indoorside of the lighting section, and have, on a side facing the lightingsection, a low thermal radiation layer configured to interrupt heatradiation. This configuration can prevent heat transfer caused by heatradiation. Thus, in winter, indoor temperature is higher than outdoortemperature, and therefore, heat transferred from the inside of a roomto the outside thereof can be reflected toward a heat exchange elementside, whereby the temperature of air in the air supply passage can befurther increased. In summer, outdoor temperature is higher than indoortemperature, and therefore, heat transferred from the outside of a roomto the inside thereof can be reflected toward the outside of the room.Therefore, in both winter and summer, air having a comfortabletemperature can be taken into the inside of a room, and thus, highercomfortability can be achieved.

The one or more exhaust passages may include an indoor-side air passagewhich is the closest to a room among the plurality of air passages. Theone or more air supply passages may include an outdoor-side air passagewhich is the farthest to the room among the plurality of air passages.This configuration can substantially prevent indoor air from beingcooled by the air supply flow passing through the air supply passages.Furthermore, the air supply flow passing through the air supply passagesis warmed by light via the lighting section, so that the temperature ofthe air supply flow can be increased.

The heat exchange element may be configured to be in contact with thelighting section via a hollow thermal-insulating layer. With thisconfiguration, the hollow thermal-insulating layer can be providedbetween the outside of a room and the heat exchange element, whereby theinfluence of heat on the air supply passage from the outside of the roomcan be reduced, so that the temperature of air supply and thetemperature of exhaust can be efficiently exchanged.

An air flow direction of the one or more air supply passages may opposean air flow direction of the one ore more exhaust passages. With thisconfiguration, supplied air opposes exhaust, whereby heat exchange canbe carried out in a uniform temperature distribution, so thattemperature exchange efficiency in the heat transfer plate can beenhanced.

It may be configured such that the exhaust flow inlet is provided in oneside part of one pair of side parts of the window frame, and the exhaustflow outlet is provided in another side part of the one pair of the sideparts of the window frame; the air supply flow inlet is provided in oneside part of another pair of side parts of the window frame, and the airsupply flow outlet is provided in another side part of the another pairof the side parts of the window frame; and the air flow direction of theone or more exhaust passages are orthogonal to the air flow direction ofthe one or more air supply passages.

Thus, the air supply flow inlet, the air supply passage, and the airsupply flow outlet are configured to be linearly arranged, whereby asimple air passage structure with fewer turns is achieved. Accordingly,pressure losses are reduced, whereby power required for air-blowing canbe reduced. In addition, the exhaust flow inlet, the exhaust flowoutlet, the air supply flow inlet, and the air supply flow outlet aredisposed in the four side parts of the window frame, respectively,whereby fresh outdoor air supplied from the air supply flow outlet tothe inside of a room can be prevented from being discharged from theexhaust flow inlet to the outside of the room. Furthermore, indoor airdischarged from the exhaust flow outlet to the outside of the room canbe prevented from being supplied from the air supply flow inlet to theinside of the room. Thus, discharged indoor air can be prevented fromgetting mixed with supplied outdoor air, so that efficient ventilationcan be achieved.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be describedwith reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment

In FIG. 1, heat exchange ventilator 2 is mounted in wall 1 of a house.Heat exchange ventilator 2 includes window frame 5 having a rectangularexternal shape, lighting section 6 provided inside window frame 5, andheat exchange element 7 being optically transparent and superimposed onlighting section 6. Note that later-described air supply flow outlet 13is provided on the indoor side of the lower side part of window frame 5.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, window frame 5 has a rectangular externalshape, and, when viewed from the indoor side, window frame 5 includes:upper side part 21 on the upper side of window frame 5; lower side part22 positioned on the lower side of window frame 5 and paired with upperside part 21; left side part 23 on the left side of window frame 5; andright side part 24 positioned on the right side of window frame 5 andpaired with left side part 23. In window frame 5, the right and leftends of upper side part 21 are coupled with the upper end of right sidepart 24 and the upper end of left side part 23, respectively; and theright and left ends of lower side part 22 are coupled with the lower endof right side part 24 and the lower end of left side part 23,respectively.

As illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, lighting section 6 and heatexchange element 7 are fixed to window frame 5 including upper side part21, lower side part 22, left side part 23, and right side part 24.Lighting section 6 is formed of an optically transparent material thatis typically a glass material or a material such as reinforced plastic,for example. Heat exchange element 7 is also formed of an opticallytransparent material, and details thereof will be described later.

As illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, indoor air (hereinafter, referredto as indoor air 3) is taken in from exhaust flow inlet 9 provided onthe indoor side of lower side part 22, as indicated by black arrows, andis discharged from exhaust flow outlet 10 provided on the outdoor sideof upper side part 21 via heat exchange ventilator 2 to the outside of aroom, as indicated by black arrows. Outdoor air (hereinafter, referredto as outdoor air 4) is taken in from air supply flow inlet 12 providedon the outdoor side of upper side part 21, as indicated by white arrows,and is taken into the inside of the room from air supply flow outlet 13provided on the indoor side of lower side part 22 via heat exchangeventilator 2, as indicated by white arrows.

Then, with this configuration, ventilation is performed, and also, atthe time of the ventilation, emitted heat of indoor air 3 is transmittedto outdoor air 4 taken into the inside of the room. Thus, unnecessaryheat-discharge is substantially prevented, and heat is recovered intothe inside of the room.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, heat exchangeventilator 2 includes window frame 5 formed of a hollow member, lightingsection 6 provided inside window frame 5, and heat exchange element 7superimposed on lighting section 6. When exhaust blower 8 provided inupper side part 21 of window frame 5 is driven, indoor air 3 is taken infrom exhaust flow inlet 9 provided on the indoor side of lower side part22. Taken-in indoor air 3 is discharged to the outside of the room fromexhaust flow outlet 10 provided on the outdoor side of upper side part21, via exhaust passage 14 of heat exchange element 7 and exhaust blower8.

By driving air supply blower 11 provided in lower side part 22 of windowframe 5, outdoor air 4 is taken in from air supply flow inlet 12provided on the outdoor side of upper side part 21. Taken-in outdoor air4 is introduced into the inside of the room from air supply flow outlet13 provided on the indoor side of lower side part 22, via air supplypassage 15 of heat exchange element 7 and air supply blower 11. Here,exhaust flow outlet 10 and air supply flow inlet 12 are respectivelydisposed in different faces of upper side part 21 in a rectangular shapeso that air blown out from exhaust flow outlet 10 in upper side part 21to the outside of the room is not introduced into the inside of the roomfrom air supply flow inlet 12. Similarly, air supply flow outlet 13 andexhaust flow inlet 9 are respectively disposed in different faces oflower side part 22 in a rectangular shape so that air blown out from airsupply flow outlet 13 in lower side part 22 to the inside of the room isnot introduced into the outside of the room from exhaust flow inlet 9.Note that examples of a blower used as exhaust blower 8 or air supplyblower 11 include a cross flow fan. Heat exchange element 7 includesexhaust passage 14 provided between exhaust flow inlet 9 and exhaustflow outlet 10, and air supply passage 15 provided between air supplyflow inlet 12 and air supply flow outlet 13. Exhaust passage 14 and airsupply passage 15 are separated by heat transfer plate 16 beingoptically transparent. Exhaust passages 14 and air supply passages 15are alternately laminated one by one via heat transfer plates 16.

According to heat exchange ventilator 2 of the present embodiment, byoperating heat exchange ventilator 2, heat is transferred in heatexchange element 7 from indoor air 3 discharged to supplied outdoor air4 via heat transfer plate 16, whereby the heat can be recovered into theroom. By superimposing heat exchange element 7 on lighting section 6,heat exchange element 7 conventionally provided in window frame 5 can bemade unnecessary, so that window frame 5 can be reduced in size.Furthermore, the area of lighting section 6 can be made larger than thearea of window frame 5, so that the efficiency of heat exchange fromdischarged indoor air 3 to supplied outdoor air 4 can be enhanced.Furthermore, in winter, heat exchange element 7 acquires solar radiationbecause heat exchange element 7 is superimposed on lighting section 6.Thus, the surface temperature of heat transfer plate 16 provided insideheat exchange element 7 rises, whereby the temperature of air flowingthrough air supply passage 15 can be increased. In addition, heattransfer plate 16 is optically transparent, and thus carries out alighting function as a window.

Thus, heat exchange ventilator 2 having window frame 5 excellent indesign without losing a function as a window can be provided. Inaddition, since heat exchange element 7 can achieve higher heat-exchangeefficiency, heat exchange ventilator 2 capable of reducing airconditioning load all the year around can be provided. Furthermore,there can be provided heat exchange ventilator 2 capable of,particularly in winter, increasing the blowing temperature of the airsupply flow by making use of solar radiation, and supplying air having acomfortable temperature.

Note that, for heat exchange, heat transfer plate 16 being opticallytransparent may be formed of a material that transfers only heat, forexample, resin such as polypropylene or polycarbonate, or a glassmaterial conventionally used for windows and capable of sensible heatexchange. Alternatively, heat transfer plate 16 may be formed of amaterial capable of total heat exchange to transfer both heat andhumidity, for example, resin such as polyurethane.

For window frame 5 formed of a hollow member, metal or resin istypically used. Examples of the metal include aluminum which islightweight. Examples of the resin include vinyl chloride andpolycarbonate which have high rigidity. To prevent heat ingress from theoutside of a room, resin having lower thermal conductivity than metal ispreferably used.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, heat exchange ventilator 2 of the presentembodiment has a configuration in which exhaust passages 14 and airsupply passages 15 are alternately arranged (superimposed) one by onevia heat transfer plate 16. Of the air passages, an air passage on theindoor side is preferably one of exhaust passages 14. This configurationcan substantially prevent indoor air from being cooled by the air supplyflow (outdoor air 4) passing through air supply passage 15. On the otherhand, of the air passages, an air passage on the outdoor side ispreferably one of air supply passages 15. With this configuration, heatis added, by incident light via lighting section 6, to the air supplyflow passing through air supply passage 15 so that the temperature ofthe air supply flow can be increased.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, in heat exchange ventilator 2 of the presentembodiment, air supply flow inlet 12 is provided in the lower face ofupper side part 21. This configuration can prevent solids such as dustin an outdoor space from entering into heat exchange element 7.

Hereinbefore, the present disclosure has been described based on theembodiments. Persons skilled in the art understand that theseembodiments are merely examples, and various modifications can be madeto combinations of the constituents and the processes, and suchmodifications are included within the scope of the present disclosure.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, heat exchange ventilator 2 of the presentembodiment has a two-layer structure in which lighting section 6 isprovided on the outdoor side and heat exchange element 7 is provided onthe indoor side, but, the structure of heat exchange ventilator 2 is notlimited to the above-mentioned structure. For example, lighting section6 may be provided also on the indoor side so that heat exchangeventilator 2 has a three-layer structure, namely, lighting section 6 onthe outdoor side/heat exchange element 7/lighting section 6 on theindoor side. Thus, heat exchange ventilator 2 having window frame 5excellent in design without losing a function as a window even on theindoor side can be provided.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, heat exchange element 7 may be configured toinclude, on the outdoor side (a side facing lighting section 6) of heatexchange element 7, low thermal radiation layer 17 coated with a lowemissivity metal.

With this configuration, heat that is conventionally transferred fromthe inside of a room to the outside thereof because indoor temperatureis higher than outdoor temperature in winter can be reflected toward theheat exchange element 7. Therefore, radiant heat can be applied to theair supply flow (outdoor air 4) in air supply passage 15, so that theair supply flow with a further increased air temperature can be blowninto the room. Heat that is conventionally transferred by radiation fromthe outside of a room to the inside thereof outdoor because temperatureis higher than indoor temperature in summer can be reflected toward theoutdoor side. Accordingly, it is less likely that radiant heat is addedto the air supply flow in air supply passage 15. Thus, air can be blowninto the room without increasing the air temperature of the air supplyflow.

Accordingly, in winter, the blowing temperature of the air supply flowcan be increased, whereas, in summer, the blowing temperature of the airsupply flow can be substantially prevented from rising. Thus, all theyear around, the air supply flow having a comfortable temperature can betaken into the inside of a room, so that the effect of enhancingcomfortability can be achieved.

Note that, as the low emissivity metal used herein, a metal mainlycontaining silver is known.

The film thickness of low thermal radiation layer 17 is preferably in arange of 50 nm to 500 nm. Low thermal radiation layer 17 having a filmthickness of 50 nm or less causes a decrease in reflection of heatradiation. Low thermal radiation layer 17 having a film thickness of 500nm or more causes a decrease in optical transparency. Thus, when thefilm thickness is in a range of 50 nm to 500 nm, a function as a windowis not lost, the reflection of heat radiation can be secured, highheat-exchange efficiency is achieved, and air having a comfortabletemperature can be taken in.

Low thermal radiation layer 17 is formed by, for example, sputtering,electron beam evaporation, or ion plating.

Heat transfer plate 16 may be configured to have a thickness of 10 μm ormore and 500 μm or less. When heat transfer plate 16 is a thin filmhaving a thickness of 500 μm or less, thermal conductivity can beimproved and high temperature-exchange-efficiency can be achieved. Whenheat transfer plate 16 has a thickness of less than 10 μm, heat transferplate 16 bends in a pressure produced during ventilation, and blockagesan air passage to cause ventilation resistance. Hence, heat transferplate 16 having a thickness of 10 μm or more has a necessary rigidity,so that air passage blockage caused by the bending can be substantiallyprevented.

Thus, while air passage blockage is substantially prevented, highheat-exchange efficiency is achieved, and air having a comfortabletemperature can be taken in, so that higher comfortability can beachieved.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, heat exchange element 7 may be configured toinclude, on the outdoor side (a side facing lighting section 6), hollowthermal insulating layer 18 partitioned with an optically transparentplate.

The optically transparent plate used herein to constitute thermalinsulating layer 18 may be formed of, for example, resin, such aspolypropylene or polycarbonate, or a glass material conventionally usedfor windows.

Thus, a hollow layer has a low thermal conductivity of air and therebyfunctions as thermal insulating layer 18, so that heat transfer from theoutside of a room to heat exchange element 7 can be substantiallyprevented. For example, in winter, heat transfer from outdoor air withlow temperature to the air supply flow (outdoor air 4) in air supplypassage 15 can be substantially prevented, and accordingly, a decreasein air supply temperature can be substantially prevented. In summer,heat transfer from outdoor air with high temperature to the air supplyflow can be substantially prevented, and accordingly, an increase in airsupply temperature can be substantially prevented. Furthermore, thermalinsulating layer 18 is optically transparent, and thus carries out alighting function as a window.

Therefore, without losing a function as a window, decrease in theblowing temperature of the air supply flow in winter can besubstantially prevented. Furthermore, an increase in the blowingtemperature of the air supply flow in summer can be substantiallyprevented. In other words, air having a comfortable temperature can betaken into the inside of a room all the year around, so that the effectof enhancing higher comfortability can be achieved.

The air flow direction of exhaust passage 14 may be configured to opposethe air flow direction of air supply passage 15.

With this configuration, the flow direction of supplied air (outdoor air4) opposes the flow direction of discharged air (exhaust air 3), wherebyheat exchange can be carried out in a uniform temperature distribution,so that temperature exchange efficiency in heat transfer plate 16 can beenhanced. Thus, higher heat-exchange-efficiency can be achieved, andaccordingly air having a comfortable temperature can be taken into theinside of a room all the year around, so that the effect of enhancinghigher comfortability can be achieved.

As illustrated in FIG. 6 (a) and FIG. 6 (b), exhaust flow inlet 9 isprovided on the indoor side of left side part 23 of window frame 5;exhaust flow outlet 10 is provided on the outdoor side of right sidepart 24 of window frame 5; air supply flow inlet 12 is provided on theoutdoor side of upper side part 21 of window frame 5; and air supplyflow outlet 13 is provided on the indoor side of lower side part 22 ofwindow frame 5. Here, the flow direction of an exhaust flow inside heatexchange element 7, the exhaust flow having been taken in from exhaustflow inlet 9, may be configured to be orthogonal to the flow directionof an air supply flow inside heat exchange element 7, the supply airflow having been taken in from air supply flow inlet 12. Note that, inthis case, air supply blower 11 is provided in left side part 23 ofwindow frame 5 although, in the previous embodiment, provided insidelower side part 22 of window frame 5. In contrast, exhaust blower 8 isprovided inside upper side part 21 of window frame 5 in the same manneras in the previous embodiment.

Here, the flow direction of the exhaust flow and the flow direction ofthe air supply flow in heat exchange element 7 are now described usingFIG. 7. FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line A-A′in FIG. 6 (b). As illustrated in FIG. 7, the exhaust flow taken in fromexhaust flow inlet 9 in left side part 23 passes through exhaust passage14 of heat exchange element 7 from left side part 23 to right side part24 as indicated by black arrows. The air supply flow taken in from airsupply flow inlet 12 provided on the outdoor side of upper side part 21passes through air supply passage 15 of heat exchange element 7 fromupper side part 21 to lower side part 22 as indicated by white arrows.Hence, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the exhaust flow indicated by the blackarrows and the air supply flow indicated by the white arrows passthrough heat exchange element 7 so as to be at right angles to eachother.

Thus, exhaust flow inlet 9, exhaust blower 8, and exhaust flow outlet 10are linearly configured to extend in one direction, whereas air supplyflow inlet 12, air supply blower 11, and air supply flow outlet 13 arelinearly configured to extend in another direction being orthogonal tothe one direction. In other words, the direction in which exhaust flowinlet 9, exhaust blower 8, and exhaust flow outlet 10 extend isorthogonal to the direction in which air supply flow inlet 12, airsupply blower 11, and air supply flow outlet 13 extend. Thus, exhaustpassage 14 and air supply passage 15 have a simple air passage structurewith fewer turns. This structure can reduce pressure losses and reducepower required for exhaust blower 8 and air supply blower 11. Inaddition, exhaust flow inlet 9, exhaust flow outlet 10, air supply flowinlet 12, and air supply flow outlet 13 are provided respectively in thefour sides of window frame 5, so that indoor air 3 and outdoor air 4 areless likely to be mixed with each other, and efficient ventilation canbe achieved.

Thus, a high energy-saving operation in which air blowing power isreduced can be performed, and, in addition, air having a comfortabletemperature can be taken into the inside of a room, so that the effectof enhancing higher comfortability can be achieved.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, it may be configured such that exhaust filter19 is provided to exhaust flow inlet 9, and air supply filter 20 isprovided to air supply flow inlet 12. With this configuration, solidssuch as dust in an outdoor space or an indoor space are prevented fromentering into heat exchange element 7, whereby a decrease in exhaustflow rate due to ventilation resistance caused by solids clogging heatexchange element 7 can be prevented, and also dirt can be prevented fromadhering to a surface of heat transfer plate 16, so that degradation inlighting performance can be substantially prevented.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, heat exchange element 7 may be configured toinclude exhaust passage 14 on the indoor side and air supply passage 15on the outdoor side that sandwich one sheet of heat transfer plate 16.In other words, heat exchange element 7 may be configured such thatexhaust passage 14 on the indoor side, one sheet of heat transfer plate16, and air supply passage 15 on the outdoor side are disposed in thisorder. This configuration can make heat exchange ventilator 2 thinnerand can offer an enhanced lighting function as a window to heat exchangeventilator 2.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The heat exchange ventilator according to the present disclosure isuseful as a heat exchange ventilator capable of heat exchange betweenthe inside and the outside of a room. The heat exchange ventilatorproduces an effect when used mainly for windows of buildings.

REFERENCE MARKS IN THE DRAWINGS

-   -   1 . . . wall    -   2 . . . heat exchange ventilator    -   3 . . . indoor air    -   4 . . . outdoor air    -   5 . . . window frame    -   6 . . . lighting section    -   7 . . . heat exchange element    -   8 . . . exhaust blower    -   9 . . . exhaust flow inlet    -   10 . . . exhaust flow outlet    -   11 . . . air supply blower    -   12 . . . air supply flow inlet    -   13 . . . air supply flow outlet    -   14 . . . exhaust passage    -   15 . . . air supply passage    -   16 . . . heat transfer plate    -   17 . . . low thermal radiation layer    -   18 . . . thermal insulating layer    -   19 . . . exhaust filter    -   20 . . . air supply filter    -   21 . . . upper side part    -   22 . . . lower side part    -   23 . . . left side part    -   24 . . . right side part    -   101 . . . heat exchange ventilator    -   102 . . . window frame    -   103 . . . exhaust flow inlet    -   104 . . . exhaust flow outlet    -   105 . . . heat exchange element    -   106 . . . exhaust blower    -   107 . . . air supply flow inlet    -   108 . . . air supply flow outlet    -   109 . . . air supply blower

1. A heat exchange ventilator, comprising: a window frame: a lightingsection provided inside the window frame; and a heat exchange elementsuperimposed on the lighting section, wherein the window frame includes:an exhaust flow inlet provided on an indoor side of the window frame andconfigured to take in indoor air; an exhaust flow outlet provided on anoutdoor side of the window frame and configured to blow out the indoorair; an air supply flow inlet provided on the outdoor side andconfigured to take in outdoor air; an air supply flow outlet provided onthe indoor side and configured to blow out the outdoor air; an exhaustblower configured to send the indoor air from the exhaust flow inlet tothe exhaust flow outlet; and an air supply blower configured to send theoutdoor air from the air supply flow inlet to the air supply flowoutlet, wherein the heat exchange element includes a plurality of heattransfer plates defining a plurality of air passages, each heat transferplate separating two air passages among the plurality of air passages,the plurality of heat exchange plates are optically transparent andconfigured to exchange sensible heat or total heat, the plurality of airpassages including one or more air supply passages and one or moreexhaust passages, the one or more air supply passages each beingprovided between the air supply flow inlet and the air supply flowoutlet, the one or more exhaust passages each being provided between theexhaust flow inlet and the exhaust flow outlet, and the one or more airsupply passages and the one or more exhaust passages are alternativelyarranged one by one.
 2. The heat exchange ventilator according to claim1, wherein the heat exchange element is disposed on an indoor side ofthe lighting section, and includes, on a side facing the lightingsection, a low thermal radiation layer configured to interrupt heatradiation from inside a room.
 3. The heat exchange ventilator accordingto claim 1, wherein, the one or more exhaust passages include anindoor-side air passage which is the closest to a room among theplurality of air passages, and the one or more air supply passagesinclude an outdoor-side air passage which is the farthest to the roomamong the plurality of air passages.
 4. The heat exchange ventilatoraccording to claim 1, wherein the heat exchange element is in contactwith the lighting section via a hollow thermal insulating layer.
 5. Theheat exchange ventilator according to claim 1, wherein an air flowdirection of the one or more exhaust passages oppose an air flowdirection of the one or more air supply passages.
 6. The heat exchangeventilator according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust flow inlet isprovided in one side part of one pair of side parts of the window frame,and the exhaust flow outlet is provided in another side part of the onepair of the side parts of the window frame, wherein the air supply flowinlet is provided in one side part of another pair of side parts of thewindow frame, and the air supply flow outlet is provided in another sidepart of the another pair of the side parts of the window frame, andwherein an air flow direction of the one or more exhaust passages areorthogonal to an air flow direction of the one or more air supplypassages.
 7. A heat exchange ventilator, comprising: a window frame: alighting section provided inside the window frame; and a heat exchangeelement superimposed on the lighting section, wherein the window frameincludes: an exhaust flow inlet provided on an indoor side of the windowframe and configured to take in indoor air; an exhaust flow outletprovided on an outdoor side of the window frame and configured to blowout the indoor air; an air supply flow inlet provided on the outdoorside and configured to take in outdoor air; an air supply flow outletprovided on the indoor side and configured to blow out the outdoor air;an exhaust blower configured to send the indoor air from the exhaustflow inlet to the exhaust flow outlet; and an air supply blowerconfigured to send the outdoor air from the air supply flow inlet to theair supply flow outlet, wherein the heat exchange element includes: anair supply passage communicated between the air supply flow inlet andthe air supply flow outlet, and provided on an outdoor side of the heatexchange element; an exhaust passage communicated between the exhaustflow inlet and the exhaust flow outlet, and provided on an indoor sideof the heat exchange element; and a heat transfer plate provided betweenthe air supply passage and the exhaust passage, and separating the airsupply passage and the exhaust passage, the heat transfer plate beingoptically transparent and configured to exchange sensible heat or totalheat.